Anthony george lyster



No. 625,!13. Patented m l6, I899.

A. a. LYSTEB.

, HOPPER BABGE.

(Application filed June 27, 189B.\

(No Model.)

STATES NrrE o PATENT OFFICE.

HOPPER-BARGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,113, dated May 16, 1899.

Application filed June 27,1898. Serial No. 684,542. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY GEORGE LYS- TER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Hopper-Barges or Hopper-Dredgers, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, No. 29,232, bearing date December 10, 1897,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to so construct or fit the hoppers of hopper-barges or hopper-dredgers usedin suction-dredging that the escape of solid material with the overflowwater shall be more effectually prevented For this purpose I form the hoppers with coverings watertight, or nearly so, and I provide one or more hollow shafts or trunks leading from the interior of thehoppers to a certain height above the covering, through which shafts or trunks the overflow-water rises and escapes over the upper edge. The number, area, height, and shape of the shafts or trunks are so proportioned that the velocity of the water rising therein is not sufficient to carry with it any or, if any, onlya verysmall quantity of solid material, and the time also occupied by the water in passing from the discharge-pipe to the upper edge of the shafts or trunks is such and the water in the shafts or trunks is so removed from the commotion in the hopper, caused by the inflow of the dredgings, that the material in suspension has plenty of time and opportunity to deposit, and it is therefore left behind in the hoppers. It is advantageous that the discharge pipe from the pumps should be at as great a distance as possible from the overflow shaft or shafts.

Valves or adjustable coamings are provided in or around the shafts or trunks, so that the discharge through such shafts can beregulated, thereby allowing of the deposit of material in the hopper being adjusted so as to trim the barge as desired.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, at the line A A on Fig. 2, of so much of a hopperdredger as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse section at the line B B on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, at the line 0 c on Fig. 4, of a modification of my invention. Fig. 4 is a transverse section at the line D D on Fig. 3.

a is the hopper, of any usual form and provided with the usual dropping doors I) at the bottom, operated by chains in any usual way. The hopper is provided with a water-tight covering 0. The covering 0 has openings which are surmounted by hollow shafts or trunks d.

e are valves in the shafts d, which valves are operated by levers, rods, and hand-wheels f, whereby the discharge of water from the shafts may be. regulated to any desired degree, and thereby the deposit of material in the hopper may be varied in amount at different points. The size, number, and position of the shafts d may be varied as found desirable, care being taken that the sectional area is such that the velocity of the escaping water is not sufficient to carry with it any substantial quantity of the solid material, which material consequently settles down in the hopper. The head of water in the shafts d also reduces to a great extent the agitation'of the water in the hopper due to the rush of water from the discharge-pipe g of the dredging pump. This discharge-pipe may be of any usual kind, preferably with valves and openings at different points, as usual, so that the dredgings may be discharged into the hopper at various points.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, in which like let'- ters indicate similar parts, as in Figs. 1 and 2, instead of several shafts being used, as in Figs. 1 and 2, only one is used. This is placed at the center of the covering and is of oblong form, extending the whole length of the hopper, and instead of valves 6 being used the shaft 01 is provided with an adjustable coaming d at each side. These coarnings can be moved up or down in the guides d by means of screws and hand-wheelsf, so as to increase or diminish the head of water in the shaft d. By raising or lowering one end of the coamings d more than the other end the escape of Water from the shaft can be varied at differ* ent points, or the coamings may be made in separate pieces each independently movable. Any suitable packing is provided, if required,

between the movable coamings and the sides of the shaft 01 to prevent escape of water be tween them.

I do not confine myself to the particular arrangements shown and described, as many modifications may be made; but

What I claim is 1. A hopper barge or dredge having a covered hopper, and a hollow vertically-extending open-ended shaft or trunk extending from the covering to aheight above it, and arranged to reduce agitation of the contents of the hopper and allow the deposit of dredged material while allowing free escape of water, substantially as described.

2. A hopper barge'or dredge having a covering, and hollow open-ended shafts or trunks ANTHONY GEORGE LYSTER.

Witnesses:

W. B. JOHNSON, ROBERT CRAIL. 

